Prototype 1997-04-04

This is a sub-page of Proto:Shadow Warrior (1997).

'This page or section details content from theShadow Warrior 1997-04-04 Prototype Leak.'''

The April 4th, 1997 Shadow Warrior prototype is an interesting look at a game approaching completion. Compiled shortly before the game's release, this was spread by a tech support employee wanting to play a net game with a friend of his. However, the prototype spread far enough that said employee was soon fired. Lots of data from the game dating back to 1994 was deleted from the final game, but can still be found in this version.

General#

Console#

This prototype contains a console that can be opened with the ~ key, like in many other FPS games. This is where cheats are inputted in this prototype.

Message Positioning#

Messages are positioned closer to the top of the screen in this prototype than they are in the final game.

Prototype	Final

In-Game Chat#

The in-game chat uses the same font that the quit message does in this prototype. The final swaps it to a smaller font. This font is also used in this prototype's console.

Prototype	Final

Item Counts#

When an item is picked up, the game will show how much of that item (or ammo) you get from picking it up. This is removed in the final game, barring the Fortune Cookie.

Prototype	Final

12 Gauge Misspelling#

When a box of Riot Gun ammo is picked up, the game will misspell it as "12-Guage Shotgun Shells". This is "fixed" in the final game by calling Riot Gun ammo "shotshells".

Boot-Up Screen#

The boot-up screen is slightly different compared to the previous prototype's. The bar at the top is green, while the message says that the prototype is a beta version of the game that should not be distributed. It also notes that it is an in-house copy of the game.

The game will automatically start without the user having to press a button first.

This version is referred to as beta .90, which is very similar to the previous prototype's name, .09 alpha.

Prototype	Final

Menu#

The menu is fairly close to the final's. However, it has some differences, such as using the spinning shuriken (which is larger than in previous prototypes) for an icon, using the old title seen in previous prototypes, and lacks descriptions for the shareware and registered version selections while still calling them "shareware episode" and "registered episode" instead of their final names. In addition, starting a game via the single player menu will send the player to the level he is currently on, regardless of whether the shareware or registered episode options were selected.

When the "how to order" screen is selected, the game will show the order screens from the shareware version of Duke Nukem 3D.

Prototype	Final

Prototype	Final

Difficulty Names#

This prototype has the same amount of difficulties the final game has, but they have different names.

When a difficulty is selected, the game will play the same Lo Wang one-liner that the final game does when selecting the equivalent difficulty.

Results Screen#

The results screen has been implemented in this prototype, but it's very barebones compared to the final game's. The background graphic is the game's title screen instead of Lo Wang in a dojo, it lacks the par time and 3D Realm's best time, the level name is not given, and the text is centered directly in the center of the screen instead of being adjusted to fit around Lo Wang.

The graphics for the final's results screen are in the game, but have not yet been implemented.

Prototype	Final

End Screen#

The screen shown when exiting the game is almost exactly the same as the one in Duke Nukem 3D, but with "Shadow Warrior" replacing "Duke Nukem" in the top banner and flashing "BETA" text scattered throughout the screen. The final reuses Dukes formatting, but has the courtesy of rewriting the text so it fits Shadow Warrior.

Prototype	Final

Cheats and Console Commands#

This prototype not only contains the typed in cheats found in most of the 1996 prototypes, it also contains a lot of new cheats and debugging tools. These can be entered in the console.

Input	Effect	Image
george	Makes Lo Wang say "Taksan balls, squishy penis!".
randy	Does nothing.
blackburn	Makes Lo Wang say "You are tiny grasshopper!".
Swprev	Sends the player to the previous level. if the player uses it while in the first level, the game will crash with an error because it can't find "title.map". Title.map is a level that first appeared as a title screen in the February 1995 prototype, though the January 1995 one looks for it too.
swnext	Sends the player to the next level. If there is no next level, the game will crash.
swres	Selects the screen size. It can go as high as 1280 x 1024.
swloc	Typing this in once shows the player's frames per second. Typing it in again shows detailed information about the player's exact location. Typing it in three times disables it.
swroom	Typing this in once makes the entire level pink, seemingly disabling level rendering. Typing it again turns it back on.
reverb	Can be set to 1 or 0. Presumably does something with sound reverb.
mem	Dumps current memory information.
cache	Dumps current cache stats.
clear	Clears the console.
xrepeat	Looks for a number to be inputted, but does nothing.
yrepeat	Looks for a number to be inputted, but does nothing.
translucent	Looks for a number to be inputted, but does nothing.
help	Used with another command after it to show how it works.
sound	In-game sound test. Put a number next to "sound" to make the game play a sound.
spriteinfo	When activated, shows detailed information about a sprite. Face a sprite to see information. Sprites targeted by this debug ability will be colored red. Typing it in once will activate "brief" mode. Doing it again will activate "verbose" mode, showing more information. Doing it three times disables it.
kill	Kills the player.
showsprite	Seems to show detailed information about sprites in levels. Put a number after the command to show information.
showuser	Can add a number next to it, but it does nothing. MP command?
quit	Quits the game.
config	Used for loading new config files. Type in the name of the desired config file after "config" and the game will load it.
damage	Give a generic error message about no help being available when typed in.
winpachinko	Use it to always win the pachinko games scattered throughout the first level.
tweak	Give a generic error message about no help being available when typed in.
trix	Turns rockets into rabbits! Rocket firing sound replaced with rabbit sound, and rabbits gib on impact.

Screen Error#

The viewport will permanently screw up if the player approaches a screen displaying another part of a level.

Suicide#

If the player kills himself in any way, such as melting in lava or blowing himself up, the game will show a message that reads

Suicide is not the answer. Call [555-1234].

This message was removed in the final game. The number itself is fake.

Fortune Cookie Sayings#

The fortune cookie appears in this prototype, and with it the sayings that appear when one of them is picked up. Several of them do not appear in the final game.

Those that are used in the final game are bold.

• You never going to score.
• 26-31-43-82-16-29
• You have come to chew bubble gum with ass.
• There is hidden item just beyond wall.
• Never forget reload weapon after battle.
• 18-45-92-58-73-10
• You a very bad man!
• You have taksan balls.
• Sorry, you no win this time, try again.
• It all in reflexes.
• You try harder get along. Be a nice man.
• No man is island, except Lo Wang.
• There is much death in future.
• Grenade in hand, worth uzi in bush.
• 13-64-99-32-57-19
• You should kill all business associates.
• (c)1997,3DRealms fortune cookie company.
• You will succeed where many have died.
• You're(sic, fixed in final version) chi attracts many chicks.
• You fly like lesbian seagull.
• Tanaka, pick up stash in locker 29 - C.
• Don't you know you the scum of society!?
• You should not scratch yourself there.
• Quick! Look out behind you!

Flying#

Flying is activated with the J key while God Mode is on, like in the final game and Duke Nukem 3D.

Quitting the Game#

The game sends the player straight to DOS when quitting instead of showing an advertisement for playing online first, like in the final game.

Multiplayer Bots#

This prototype contains multiplayer bots. They can be activated with the command line parameters -commbat and -bot#, with the "#" representing a number.

They can generously be described as "stupid". They will spend their time running around while spinning and holding down the fire key, burning through ammo in seconds, then punching or slicing the air or walls. They seem to have no sense of target identification, as they will never deliberately attack one another nor the player and will constantly die to monsters until they accidentally kill one while spinning around. They also instantly use items, such as the Gas Bomb (which they will eagerly walk into once it is active). They will use a Portable Medkit as soon as they're injured, likely because they're constantly spamming the "use item" input, but the game won't let them use the selected Portable Medkit until they're hurt.

They also have taunts, though they seem to trigger more often when one of them kills the other. They are "I suck!", "What crap!" , "Drink it down dork!", "Ha ha, you blow!", and "Human's(sic) suck!".

Killing a bot.

Graphics#

Removed Graphics#

Graphic	Tile Number	Notes
	39	Might be a sky texture.
	82	MOVED TO TILE 60
	138	Delete Me! Use Tile 21
	1196-1199	Overhead sprites for the in-game map.
	1239-1247	A full set of overhead sprites for the in-game map, featuring the old player design.
	1248-1254	Same.
	1255-1263	Same.
	1264-1270	Same.
	2714	Replace With Tile 5080
	2714	A babe from Duke Nukem 3D.
	4036-4039	N/A
	5110	Ordering screen from the shareware version of Duke Nukem 3D.
	5111	Same.
	5112	Same.
	5113	Same.

Changed Graphics#

Prototype	Final

Lara got a huge reworking. She looks more like a polygonal character and less like a poorly-drawn anime pin-up girl. Strangely, this old design can still be seen in a screenshot in the official walkthrough on 3D Realms' old site.

Prototype	Final

This tile was entirely replaced, likely due it being a not-so-subtle parody of Speed Racer.

Prototype	Final

An obvious edit, but "Dojo of the Sumo" was changed to "Dojo of the Serpent God". However, the kanji remain the same and still sort of translates to "Dojo Sumo", presumably since it's a small detail to non-East Asian eyes.

Prototype	Final

This warrior hung upside down was changed from a monster to a green-skinned human.

Prototype	Final

This cafeteria sign was darkened for some reason.

Prototype	Final

The sign was redone, while the same basic motif, right down to the gibberish kanji, remains the same.

Prototype	Final

Prototype	Final

When shooting the bunny, it has a bit of bone sticking out of it in the prototype that was removed from the final version. Its decapitated head is also darker in the final version.

Prototype	Final

The graphics for Lo Wang seen in the results screen are a little bit different in this prototype. Lo Wang has blue pants instead of gray, and much less of the dojo background is around him in his frames.

Help Screen#

The help screen is completely temporary. The final gives has a far more fleshed out help screen that spans three screens.

New Skies#

This prototype adds several new skies, which are used in the various levels.

Prototype	Final

Changed Mountain Sky#

A sky from the previous prototype appears in this one as well with some modifications, such as the mountain part being made gray to blend in with the sky a bit and being a different size. It is used in both this prototype and the final game.

April 1997	November 1996

Bloody Hands#

The game now has bloody hands textures for the Katana and Shuriken. However, if the player gets bloody hands with one weapon affected by it and switches to another, the game will not keep the bloody hands effect for the other weapon.

Voxels#

This prototype contains the final's voxels, as well as the voxels of old character designs and the Guardian that date from the June 27th, 1996 prototype.

Sounds#

Exploding Waterfall#

A sound of a waterfall exploding.

High Quality Lo Wang Voice Clip#

A very clean recording of Lo Wang. This is notable for being a 44 KHz sample in a sea of 6-11 KHz samples.

Weapons#

The weapon key binds are very close to how they are in the final game. The only difference is that the Katana and Shuriken are bound to the 2 key, while the Fists of Fury get the 1 key all to itself.

The final game changes it a little bit so that the Fists of Fury and the Katana are bound to Key 1, while the Shuriken gets key 2.

Unless otherwise noted, the weapons are the same as they are in the final game.

Fists of Fury#

This prototype is the first prototype to feature the Fists of Fury.

While the weapon itself is effective as it is in the final game, it contains a lot more sprites that were scrapped for the final game. There are sprites for a palming attack and a blocking sprite, though the latter does not appear in the final game. There is also a kicking attack that the final game lacks that uses the kick sprite from Duke Nukem 3D, but with the pants colored to match the player's pants color (brown for player 1).

This weapon does not harm the player when used against a wall. By the same token, the player cannot restore health by hitting a dummy.

Katana#

The Katana seems to be slightly weaker than it is in the final game, as it sometimes takes two swipes to kill a regular Brown Ninja instead of being a guaranteed one hit kill.

When the Katana is taken out, Lo Wang will occasionally say "Come get some!". The final game gives him a more unique line: "I like sword! That's a personal weapon".

Railgun#

The Railgun uses the final's sprite, but is much more powerful than the one in the final. The April 1997 Railgun can kill a Coolie in one shot, while it takes two to kill a Coolie in the final game. 10 rounds can be held instead of the final's 20.

Ripper Heart#

The Ripper Heart appears to be somewhat broken in this prototype. When fired, it shoots a projectile like it did in previous prototypes. When it hits an enemy, the enemy will be stuck in one of his pain sprites while bleeding, but he will never die, nor will a Baby Ripper ever appear.

It holds 20 rounds instead of the final's 5.

Enemies#

Unless otherwise noted, enemies are the same as they are in the final game.

Ninja#

The Ninja is in his final form for the most part. However, he still uses the sprites from the previous prototype.

Killing a Ninja at point-blank range tends to crash the game with a hard crash.

Something interesting to note is that, if an old map like $palace1 or $shrine is loaded in this prototype, the Ninjas will be replaced with a static image of Lo Wang walking away from the camera with palettes matching either the Blue or Red Ninjas from earlier prototypes. It seems the team messed around with the Ninjas enough at this point in development that he was made a new entity, while the old one is made inert and reads from the old sprite locations (which are occupied by the player's sprites in this prototype and the final game). This affects maps found in previous prototypes, such as $yamato (which comes from the revision found in the November 1996 prototype) and $tank (which first appeared in the June 11th, 1996 prototype).

April 1997	June 11th, 1996

April 1997	November 1996

Coolie Ghost#

The Coolie Ghost behaves the same as he does in the final, but shoots blood as his projectile. This is because textures for spewed blood have overwritten the vomit textures seen in previous prototypes.

Orange Ripper#

The Orange Ripper does not appear in this prototype.

Sumo#

This prototype marks the return of the Sumo, from his last appearance way back in the 1994 prototype.

However, he looks extremely different than he does in the final game. His skin is darker and very underdetailed and his face looks more cartoonish as well, with black areas around his eyes and a very simple mouth.

When fought, he is different as well. He has two attacks: a fart/poop attack and an earthquake. His fart/poop attack is telegraphed by him pointing his butt at the player. If the player is not moving when the attack is triggered, he'll suffer minor gas damage (like from the Gas Grenade item). If not, a turd with gas coming out of it will appear where he fired. This turn does nothing to the player. He will also occasionally slam his foot on the ground, causing a small earthquake that can easily be ignored. There is also a graphic of him clapping his hands and flashing, but he doesn't do this in-game.

There is also a mini-Sumo found at the end of $whirl, but he does nothing and cannot be interacted with in any way.

Prototype	Final

Eel#

Graphics for an eel-like creature can be found in the prototype's files. These match up with a monster called "Eel" that can be found in the game's source code.

According to its graphics, this enemy would be found in water and electrocute himself to attack the player. He has 100 HP.

Of note is that some of his graphics still contain a black border around them. This is a leftover from the EDITART program used for art in Build games.

Skeleton Priest#

The Skeleton Priest from earlier prototypes is still functioning well in this one. The only problem is that his projectile sprites have been overwritten with sprites from the Railgun's firing animations, so he'll shoot part of the Railgun's body at the player instead of electric balls.

Female Warrior and Zilla#

The Female Warrior and Zilla are nowhere to be found in this prototype. Considering how close this prototype is to the final game, they must've been very, very late additions to the game.

Items#

Skull Bottle#

The skull bottle item that first appeared all the way back in the January 1995 prototype that was used to represent the Shadow ability in various prototypes is now slated to be removed. It has "DELETE ME" all over its sprites.

Environmental Suit#

The Environmental Suit from the August and November 1996 prototypes can no longer be picked up. It also has a ton of "DELETE ME"s put over its sprite.

Guardian Head Ammo#

The Guardian Head ammo vial can't be picked up anymore and has "DELETE ME"s plastered over its sprites as well.

Red Spark Potion#

The red spark potion found in various prototypes has "DELETE ME"s on its sprites. However, it gives 5 charges for the Ripper Heart when picked up.

Interestingly, the ammo name shown when a red spark potion is picked up is called "deathcoil".

Caltrops#

The Caltrops sprite is much smaller and lacks the English text on it. There are also two caltrops to the left of it instead of one.

Prototype	Final

Gas Bomb#

The safety pin on the Gas Bomb's item sprite was slightly touched up.

It is also known as the "Gas Grenade" in this prototype.

Prototype	Final

Repair Kit#

When used, the Repair Kit plays various grinding noises instead of a one-line from Lo Wang.

Smoke Bomb#

The Smoke Bomb is called the "Invisibility Grenade" in this prototype but is otherwise the same as it is in the final game.

Levels#

By default, only the four shareware levels can be played. However, by extracting all of the level files in the .grp archive and playing them via the "user level" option in the setup executable, one can explore many more levels. They range from old levels found in previous prototypes making one last encore appearance before being cut entirely, such as $combat3, which first appeared in an earlier incarnation in the January 1995 prototype as E1L9, levels from the November 1996 prototype, and some new maps, such as the cut $3plax, featuring a boat ride around a stone brick building, and $garden, which appeared in the final as Zilla's Villa.

All of the maps have minor to significant changes, including the playable shareware ones.